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Comebacks are not the monopoly of fables and the inspiring stories that one gets to hear aren’t much far from the truth – in fact, they are derived from reality and presented, perhaps, with a bit of spice just to keep it salty enough to generate interest! The extensive domain of sports has seen numerous comebacks – that of cricketer Yuvraj Singh being the latest instance. Considering the vastness of the genre, it’ll be more precise if we focus on a single sport – tennis. The racket-sport has seen many comebacks – Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova and others – all being heroic from definite point of views. It is the latter whom I’ll dedicate this piece to.
A comeback for the Russian beauty hasn’t been anything close to fairytale and she had had to live in the harshness of reality and go through all the ordeals – something that makes her comeback all the more inspiring. Coming out of a shoulder injury, winning a Grand Slam and establishing oneself at the summit are no mean tasks. But Sharapova, a true fighter, has known better. Diagnosed with a rotator cuff tear that refused all rehabilitation attempts and required a surgery – one which sucked almost a year from her professional career – and all these when she was at her prime, speaks volumes of her grit and determination as she accepted her fate and carried on. She struggled with her form, quite naturally, and suffered defeats that may be regarded as humiliating given her records, but her resolve and perseverance made sure she regained the top spot, completed a Career Grand Slam and donned an Olympic Silver Medal.
The Russian, nicknamed Masha, shot to fame at an age as early as 17 when she became the third youngest woman to win the Wimbledon, defeating the top seed and then World No. 1 Serena Williams in a match that is, till date, regarded as “the most stunning upset”. She established herself on the circuit as a force to be reckoned with as she went on to better the likes of Svetlana Kuznetsova, Justin Henin, Venus Williams and Jelena Jankovic en route to the No. 1 ranking in August 2005. 2006 didn’t turn out to be a happy new year for Sharapova as she crashed out in the semis of the Australian Open, followed by defeats in back-to-back tournaments. Wimbledon and French Open followed suit as Sharapova entered the US Open as the third seed. However, she made amends for a till then trophy-less year as she went on to lift her second Grand Slam Trophy before consecutive wins at Zurich Open and Generali Ladies Linz.
Two years later, the Australian Open marked the zenith of Sharapova’s career as she not only triumphed convincingly, but also went on to win 18 straight matches after the Grand Slam. In this period, she also survived the longest match of her career that spanned a gruelling 3 hours and 26 minutes against Anabel Medina Garrigues. Sharapova migrated to the peak of her form as she regained the No. 1 spot following Justin Henin’s sudden retirement from professional tennis. However, luck eluded her as a recurrence of the shoulder injury meant she had to undergo surgery. With clenched jaws and unwavering tenacity that’s been synonymous with her as much as her grunting, Sharapova recovered from her injury to complete a Career Grand Slam by winning the French Open in 2011 – dominating the slow clay courts that didn’t match her fast movements had been the only missing piece of the jigsaw.
Sharapova had come out of her injury like a true champion, but not before it had had its effects on her playing style. Since the injury, the Russian had experienced lack of control in her serve which once used to the most powerful asset of her game – something which she banked on. Having trained in the US, her style suits the hard grassy courts more than clay as is evident from her baseline movements, angular forehand, double-handed powerful backhand and unorthodox strokes like the “swinging volley” while approaching the net. Given her tall stature and brisk court coverage, one can clearly fathom why she had to wait for so long to win the French Open on red soil.
Back to professional tennis now, Sharapova has already created uproar in the tennis world by smashing a number of records at the Australian Open this year. The first consecutive double-bagels at a Grand Slam, the fewest number of games dropped while reaching a Grand Slam semifinal – every record seemed to be designed for her until she lost at the hands of a resurgent Li Na in the semis. Sharapova also won the Indian Wells tournament before suffering her 11th consecutive defeat against World No. 1 Serena Williams at the Sony Open.
The Russian now has her eyes fixed on the French Open and all her fans across the world would hope that the trophy is lifted by the WTA’s most fashionable player (on and off the court). Who wouldn’t love to watch that broad smile on that pretty face?
